Cravings
by njborba
Summary: Kara's late night craving sends Danny and Tex on a mission.


Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the TV series, _The Last Ship_.

**This contains a few things I mentioned in my previous story, _Promises_, but it can be read on its own just fine. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Cravings**

By  
N. J. Borba

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Danny's eyelids fluttered open and he yawned as his surroundings came into focus.

A content smile gradually crept over his face as he stared up at the welcome view; the metal grate underside of a bunk. For nearly four months he'd been stuck on land. Land hadn't been the problem, though. Danny liked land well enough. The problem had been his separation from Kara and their unborn baby. They'd been on the Nathan James, abducted by zealots bent on breaking off from the equally crazy group formed and led by Granderson.

The country they'd all once known - once dedicated their lives to, once pledged to protect against all enemies - had fractured after the worldly destruction caused by the virus.

Even four months of fighting hadn't helped the crew of the Nathan James come to a decision as to who was right and who was wrong in the conflict. So they'd finally done the only thing that felt right. They'd done for themselves by protecting the lives of their crew and as many refugees as they could bring aboard. They'd recaptured the ship and were on their own again. But the only thing in all of that Danny cared about was the fact that Kara was lying next to him again.

"Danny?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah," he turned onto his side to face her. Kara snuggled against his chest and smiled warmly upon hearing his voice. Danny wrapped his arms about her and pressed his chin against the top of her head, her dark hair soft against his bristly beard stubble. "It's after midnight, you should be asleep…" Danny suddenly grew concerned, "Is it the baby? Is something wrong with the baby? Why are you awake?"

She smiled again, touched by his obvious concern, "I'm awake because I can't sleep."

He chuckled softly, kissing the top of her head. Danny scooched down a little in the small twin-sized bunk until his cheek was pressed against hers. Their eyes locked and he smiled at her, "Guess I walked right into that answer," he realized.

Kara nodded as she felt his left arm move to rest across the expanding frontier of her belly. He pressed his palm against the bare spot bellow her belly button were the navy sweatshirt with bright yellow lettering had ridden up during one of her many attempts to get comfortable. "Danny, you know how glad I am to have you here with me again, so don't take this the wrong way…" she preempted, "I just can't seem to settle down tonight."

His hand remained on her belly, "I don't feel little Frankie," Danny noticed, thinking that might've been the reason behind her discomfort. He moved his fingers gingery along her belly to see if there was a spot he'd missed, knowing it was harder for him to feel the baby's movements on the outside compared to what she felt on the inside.

"Frankie's pretty calm at the moment," Kara agreed, moving his hand to where she could feel a baby foot gently pressing against her bulge, "But a half hour ago I could've sworn he or she was practicing for Navy SEAL training. This kid of yours has one heck of a swim kick… or whatever's going on in there."

Danny lowered himself a little more until he could press his lips against the sweatshirt pulled across her belly. He placed a gentle kiss against her stomach before addressing it, "I like how you're always my kid when you've been bugging your momma," he whispered to the unborn baby. "Not to worry," Danny's hushed tones turned conspiratorial, "When it's two against one we'll be able to gang up on her, right buddy?"

"Two against one…" Kara's brow arched. "Still hoping for a boy, aren't you?"

He nodded, "What am I supposed to do with a girl?" Danny said before quickly kissing her covered belly again.

"Real nice, Danny," she scoffed. "What do you call me?"

"Gorgeous," he grinned, "Sexy, smart…"

Kara tried to keep her features stoic, "I also happen to be a girl. And if this baby is a sweet talker like you I'm in trouble."

He leaned forward to kiss her, but she turned her head and Danny laughed, "Don't you want to find out? Dr. Rios said we could tell now."

Her head shook, "I want to be surprised," Kara reminded him, "There're so few _good_ surprises these days."

"True," Danny nodded, "But how are we going to know what to paint the nursery?"

She finally chuckled at that, "You mean the tiny corner of our bunk room where this poor baby is going to sleep?"

His hand went back to her belly and they lay quietly for a moment before the baby let them know it was awake again.

Kara smiled as Danny's eyes lit up to feel the baby move. She happily recalled the first time they'd felt the baby move. It had happened several weeks ago, just after she'd reunited with the missing Nathan James crew; those crew members who'd gone ashore to reveal their miracle cure to the virus that had wiped out most of the world. Kara had spent eleven long weeks aboard the ship with only Slattery, Quincy Tophet and a small handful of others, all of them trying to ward off their captors while praying those on land would find them.

Danny, along with Captain Chandler, Chandler's father and children, Dr. Scott and most of the rest of those that'd been landlocked, finally tracked down the Nathan James in port along the Florida coast. Their captors had planned to eventually take over Guantanamo as a stronghold. But thankfully they'd managed to avoid that fate. Kara certainly hadn't enjoyed the ships first foray there. Although, it had yielded them Tex, and he'd become a fast friend in all of the chaos.

"It's not the baby moving, or even the cramped quarters," Kara finally explained her uncomfortable state, "I'm hungry."

"Oh, well… I'll go grab you something," Danny offered, almost half way out of their bunk before she spoke up again.

"We're on rations, Danny," she needlessly reminded him, "All the refugees we took on in Florida …" Kara remembered how that argument had gone between Slattery and Chandler, not very well at first. Of course the Captain had still been dealing with the loss of his wife and trying to figure out how to deal with his children being aboard.

Kara had gotten to know Slattery a lot better over the course of four months, and he wasn't one she'd want to negotiate with. Chandler had eventually relented and somehow the Nathan James had become both a refugee camp and quasi-daycare. Adding to Ava Tophet were the two Chandler kids and even the chief engineers daughter, Lily, as well as a dozen other refugee kids. They hadn't been prepared for kids, but Bertrise had surprised them all by taking charge of the children's care. Along with Kelly Tophet the two of them had created educational curriculum, physical activity and even entertainment outlet programs for the kids.

Quarters were still tight, people doubling up and even tripling up in some cases. Parents with two kids, an aunt and uncle all in one small destroyer bunk room. People sleeping on the floor or makeshift cots, even hammocks strung across cargo holds to help accommodate. They'd heard about a large sanctuary in Australia with plenty of food and room for refugees. They were on their way there, but it would be another several months before they'd arrive - an especially difficult journey due to finding available fuel and viable food along the way.

"All those extra mouths to feed on board mean we have to make the food stretch a lot more than before," she noted. Kara ran a hand through his hair, longer and blonder than it had been before their separation. His beard had fully grown in and his hair had hung in his eyes when she'd first seen him again. Lighter from the Florida sun where they'd spent weeks plotting the re-taking of their ship, and longer due to a lack of caring about grooming.

She'd liked it long, even liked the scruffy beard. Regulations had kicked back in after the Captain's return and he'd shaved the beard, but the top still remained a bit longer.

Two weeks ago, after seeing Danny again after almost four months, Kara had finally broken down.

She'd stayed strong during the ordeal, able to use her skills to help Slattery overtake their captors. It had been arduous work, long hours of plotting and keeping alert at all times. Not to mention she'd also been battling pregnancy sickness that didn't seem to obey the 'morning' rule. But just days into her second trimester she'd felt a surge of energy, whether hormonal or fed-up anger over the whole ordeal, Kara still wasn't certain. She only knew it had helped spurn her forward.

And the very day she'd seen Danny and the Captain waiting for them along that amazingly pristine stretch of white-sand Miami beach, she'd felt the first small movement of her unborn baby. The baby they'd agreed to name Frankie, be it a girl or boy. She'd practically fallen into Danny's arms that day – both of them dirty, relieved and exhausted. Kara recalled having just enough energy to take his hand and guide it along the baby bump that had emerged while they'd been separated. She wasn't sure if he'd be able to feel it, too. But together they had felt the baby move, the first miraculous flutter of new life –proof that despite all the bad stuff life was moving forward.

"Hey," Danny snuggled back down beside Kara for a moment and looked her in the eye, "You know the Captain gave you special dispensation for extra rations. He's not holding you to the same hard and fast rules as the rest of us. I'll go get you a snack, okay. What do you want? I know we've got a ton of canned peaches and… well, beans."

"What I really want is toast," she quietly revealed.

"Toast?" his nose crinkled, finding it an odd request, though not as strange as some pregnancy cravings he'd heard the Captain tell about his late wife.

Kara nodded, "With fresh-churned butter and homemade jam like my grandma used to make," she closed her eyes and missed Kansas more than she ever thought possible.

"You want toast with butter and jam?" Danny asked with a shrug, "I can do that. Won't be fresh… _anything_… but I'll go get you some."

Kara smiled, completely awed by his easy nature the last few weeks. He'd been so blasé about their affair when they'd first set out for the arctic, seeming like he didn't take anything very seriously. But it hadn't taken long for her to realize he'd fallen harder than he'd ever planned. She'd fallen pretty hard, too, although she'd been able to weave him into her life a little easier. He'd blown up at her, declaring his love and calling things off in one show of confused desperation.

Things had snowballed from there, until that day in the quarantine tent when everything had cemented - their lives intertwined for good.

"Danny, you can't get me toast," her head shook regretfully.

"Why not?" he wondered, usually not happy to be told he couldn't do something.

The determination that flashed behind his blue eyes made her feel a little bad. "We ran out of bread about three days ago, remember? Slattery even made a special announcement about it. That's why we've been eating beans with our morning eggs rather than toast."

"Hmm," he sighed, somewhat defeated. But the wheels in his head were spinning. "I'll find you something else… or…" Danny stayed in the bunk, his hands finding their way beneath the hem of her heavy sweatshirt, caressing more than just her bare belly, "Maybe we could figure out some way to take your mind off of being hungry," he suggested, lips pressed firmly against hers, one hand cupping her left breast while the other moved south, "Are you sure you're not craving something other than toast, like maybe a…"

"Ahem!" a noisy throat clearing echoed through the bunk room, drifting down from above them.

"Damn," Danny swore under his breath, both hands retreating as Kara chuckled softly. "I keep forgetting he's up there."

Tex hung his head over the side of his upper bunk, blood rushing into his face which caused the veins in his forehead to bulge a little. Despite that small change in appearance he managed to wear his signature smug grin, "I'm hurt," he quipped. "Forgetting all about me up here… that's hurtful," the man chuckled in spite of his words.

"Sorry," Kara mumbled. She felt slightly like a teenager being caught by her parents, although she hadn't grown up with a father.

"Hey, no worries at all, darlin'," Tex drawled, "S'okay that your boyfriend forgot me. But I'm always aware you two are down there, because I can hear you," he let them know as he lifted his head from their view, "I can even hear your lips as they…"

"Tex!" Danny growl-shouted at the man in order to shut him up.

The other man laughed again.

Danny eyed Kara as he whispered, "Why didn't he just volunteer to bunk with Dr. Scott when the new sleeping arrangements were being made?"

"Heard that, too," Tex informed them.

Kara wore a huge smile but managed not to laugh.

"He's a damn bat," Danny grumbled.

"I can still hear you," their interruptive roommate called out.

Her laughter finally won out. Danny did his best to quiet her, pressing his lips against hers. Kara chuckled through the kiss, only feeling a little sorry, but more embarrassed that Tex might actually be able to hear them kissing. "Just think," she broke their union, "He'll come in handy when the baby gets here, built in babysitter for date nights," Kara offered up.

Danny's eyes rolled as he gave her another quick kiss on the lips and prayed they would have their own place by the time the baby came.

"I'm going to find you something to snack on, probably peaches," he declared.

Tex made a sharp tsk-tsk sound as he dangled his feet and legs over the side of the upper bunk.

"The girl is pregnant and she wants toast," Tex replied to Danny's plan, "Nothing is going to make that craving go away except toast."

With a heavy sigh, Danny extracted himself from his cozy spot beside Kara. He stood and grabbed a sweatshirt to go with his gray shorts. Danny pulled the item over his head and straightened it before finally looking to Tex, "Okay, smartass, but we've already established that toast isn't a possibility."

"Son…" Tex shook his head. He slid off the upper bunk and landed with surprising agility and a gentle thud of socked-feet against metal flooring. One arm was slung across Danny's shoulders, "Let me school you in the art of pleasing a woman," even though he spoke to Danny he faced Kara and gave her a playful wink.

Kara smiled up at the fatherly figure as she tried to get comfortable again, which was made especially difficult without Danny.

His big hand clapped Danny's right shoulder, "Come on, amigo," Tex implored, "We've got ourselves a mission."

ooo

The ship was quiet as they walked - most people asleep at such an hour.

"How about… Operation Get Kara Toast?" Tex's voice rattled through the silence as he and Danny made their way toward the galley, "OGKT for short."

Danny wasn't sure how many times a person could roll their eyes in one evening, but he felt he was on the verge of a record having to deal with Tex. "This is crazy, we have no bread. Kara herself pointed out that we have no bread on the ship. You need bread to make toast."

"So…" Tex drew out the word with emphasis, waiting for Danny to draw his own conclusion. Seeing the young man looked more tired than anything he cut him a little slack, but not much. "What do you do when you have no bread?" he prodded.

"Go to the store and buy some," Danny shrugged.

Tex shook his head, "You're such a city boy," he groaned, "Yeah, if we were within range of a store that was still in business and had just gotten a fresh delivery of bread, sure. You'd buy some. However, my friend, I believe this case is going to call for the actual _making_ of bread," Tex informed Danny. They'd become good friends in spite of the fact that they teased each other mercilessly. "I figured you Naval Mountain Warfare types would know how to forage for food… turn water into wine and all that."

Danny shook his head, stopping outside the galley, "The kitchen is closed," he waved a hand at the metal door in front of them. "This time of night they only provide coffee for the overnight duty shift." His arms crossed over his chest, practically daring Tex to get past that obstacle.

"Not like they keep the place locked," Tex reached for the door handle, opened it and entered without holding the partition for his friend.

"Hey, Tex…" Danny grabbed the handle just as the door was about to slam in his face, "I don't really think you should be…" he poked his head inside the narrow galley. "Jeez, are you determined to get me court marshaled? Just because you're not held to the same rules and regs as…" Danny trailed off as he watched Tex open one of the large glass-door refrigerators. His warnings seemed useless knowing the man wouldn't heed them.

"Would you take a good look at this thing…" Tex waved a hand at the fridge. "It's nearly empty," he lamented. Tex closed the door and took a small step to his right. He hunched over, wiped condensation off the outside glass and peeked inside the other two fridges without opening the doors. Inside he found basically the same, mostly nothing. Standing up straight again, Tex put hands on hips and turned toward the pantry shelves. They each stared at the rows of cans. "No matter, good news is we have dried goods. Dried goods make bread, along with water… well, ideally milk, but we haven't got that. So water and…"

"Can I help you?"

Danny and Tex spun around to find the hulking figure of a dark-skinned man starring at them with little expression.

"Bacon," Tex had spoken to the man a time or two. And just about everyone knew the cook had forged a strange friendship with Dr. Tophet, the turncoat who'd turned good guy again. Most also knew it had been the man nicknamed, Bacon, who had been instrumental in nursing Tophet back to health after his near-fatal gunshot wound. Bacon seemed a tough guy, but Tex knew there was a tender side in there. It was to that side that he presented his case, "We need some bread."

"Ran out days ago," responded the man of few words. He seemed to be getting the breakfast meal prepped; a carton of powdered eggs in one hand.

"Right, we want to…" Danny looked sideways at Tex, "I guess we want to make some bread," he agreed to the seemingly silly plan. But as soon as he agreed to a mission, Danny agreed to see it out to the end, "We'll need flour and water and…" this time he turned to Tex for some help in listing the other bread making ingredients.

"Preferably some yeast," Tex supplied, "Although if none is available I do know a quick-bread recipe that might work."

"No yeast," Bacon's head shook, no regrets, just a statement, "But that doesn't matter because we don't have flour either."

Tex frowned, "Then what did you make that delicious fried chicken with last night?" he asked, though a moment later as he watched the cook's brow arch he reneged, "Never mind, I don't want to know. It was great, I admire your ability to make so much out of so little," he shared a quick glance with Danny, seeing how disappointed the man appeared to be. Tex was not above a little butt kissing to make their mission a success, "Okay, we can work past all that… we've got to have something usable…" he glanced around the kitchen again.

Seconds stretched into silent minutes.

"Corn," it was Danny who finally responded, starring at a whole row of massive cans of corn. Their simple yellow labels starred back at him with promise.

The Texan did a double take, "Corn? Seriously, corn?"

Danny nodded, "Sure, corn makes up cornmeal, which is what makes cornbread. Bread is bread. This isn't really the time to be picky, is it?"

"Bread is bread," Tex nodded as he repeated Danny's words, almost laughing, "The Naval Mountain Warfare leader is quite profound," he eyed Bacon, "Corn bread, I should have thought of that. So what do you say, can we have a few cans of corn for OGKT?"

Bacon frowned, though it was somewhat indistinguishable from his usual expression, "You know it's soggy, packed in water," the cook noted.

A quick nod from Danny was followed by his move to grab one of the large cans, "We'll dry it out and grind it ourselves," Danny suggested, getting into the plan, knowing what it would mean to Kara. "We drain it and then spread it out on a sheet of some sort to air dry…"

"Cookie sheet," Tex supplied.

"_Baking_ sheet," Bacon said as he walked across the kitchen and grabbed two large metal sheets, "They bake more than just cookies so we call them baking sheets," he pointed out. "Air drying will take a long time, maybe days," he added, "You can put them in the oven on a low setting. That should do it. Food processor will grind it up for you."

"Thank you, Bacon," Tex grinned as he snatched two white aprons off a nearby hook. He handed one to Danny.

"You've got to be kidding me," Danny groaned but pulled the apron on over his sweatshirt and shorts, tying it around his waist. "I must really love Kara to be doing all this," he remarked with a smile, knowing he did. If he'd been willing to risk contracting the most deadly disease known to man to be by her side, then he was willing to bake some bread. Or at least attempt to bake bread. "You do know what you're doing, right?" Danny asked his friend.

The man beside him grinned, "My momma used to make the best sweet potato rolls, melt in your mouth. I really miss those rolls," Tex left out the fact that he still missed his mother.

Two hours later they had a loaf pan of something that very much resembled cornbread consistency. Tex had delicately sliced it up and Danny now stood hovering over the industrial sized eight-slice shiny stainless toaster. Danny gazed down into one of the slots, watching as the red coils heated and perfectly browned the bread. He hoped that a nice appearance meant a good taste would follow. "Butter and jam," he whispered.

"What's that?" Tex had shed his apron, shaking Bacon's hand in thanks for allowing them to complete their mission.

"Kara, she said she wanted butter and jam on her toast," Danny said while recalling the very empty looking fridges Tex had spied.

"Got no butter," Bacon shook his head, which barely pivoted atop his thick neck, "We use oil and other fats to cook with, haven't had butter for nearly a week. No milk to make any, except powdered milk and that…" his head shook a little again to indicate that wasn't a good idea.

Danny concentrated on the fact that having a toasted piece of bread was the most important achievement. "Do we have jam? Jam is okay without butter." At least it would have to be.

"You're seriously gonna press your luck for jam?" Tex wondered.

But, to both their surprise, this time Bacon actually nodded, "Little bit of blackberry jam and a whole lotta grape jelly."

"Which is Kara's favorite?" Tex asked Danny.

"Of those two or all jams," Danny replied.

"Start with her favorite jam and go from there," Tex suggested, sensing something was amiss, "Which would be closest to her favorite?"

"Um," Danny faltered, "Well, I guess probably…"

Tex's big grin curled his lips, "You don't know her favorite type of jam, do you? You're in love with her, got her pregnant, but don't even know what sorta jam she likes."

"It's not as though that's a thing couples typically know about each other," Danny defended, gaining him only another smile from Tex, "Is it?" he wondered for a moment. His head shook in defeat, "No, I don't know Kara's favorite type of jam," Danny admitted, "You don't know Dr. Scott's favorite either so stop being so…"

"Gooseberry," Tex interrupted, watching Danny's brow furrow, "That's the doc's favorite type of jam, gooseberry."

A scoff escaped Danny's lips, "Gooseberry? Now you're making up crap to make me look bad. That's great, Tex, thanks a lot. Look, I may not know Kara's favorite flavor of jam but I know I love her and I know we're about to become parents and…" a feeling of worry crashed onto his shoulders like the weight of the world, "Damn, Tex, I know I've been all calm and cool since reuniting with Kara a few weeks ago, but I've never been so scared of anything in my whole life, not even the virus," he admitted. "What the hell do I know about being a father or a… a… whatever it is I am to Kara?"

This time Tex's smile was more understanding than teasing. "Being scared is a good thing."

"It is?" Danny wasn't buying it. "Kara is so smart and funny, and sometimes she tells me I help her get through the day… she's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Kara's a keeper," Tex agreed.

"I wasn't expecting it, you know… falling in love during a four month mission in the arctic. That wasn't supposed to happen. And the baby…" Danny sighed, "That really wasn't supposed to happen. I've been holding it all together pretty well so far, but I don't have a clue what I'm meant to be doing for either of them. Other than hunting down food, I guess," he could only shrug helplessly, "And I feel guilty for feeling like this because I already missed several months of her pregnancy and…"

Tex could actually hear how overwhelmed Danny was, "Women have the advantage when it comes to pregnancy," he stated.

"How's that?" Danny's brow crinkled with curiosity.

"Well, think about it… they get to carry the little one around with them, keep 'em safe," Tex explained. "Sure that can be a pain for them a lot of the time, but their role is clearly defined. They carry, feed, protect. A guy doesn't really have a clue what his role in pregnancy is because he's sort of this outside participant. That's a lot harder."

Danny nodded along the whole time Tex spoke, finding he made a lot of sense, "You sound like you speak from experience."

Tex only shrugged. Danny let it go.

"You'll do fine, kid," Tex tried to assure the nervous man, feeling bad for pushing the obviously nervous guy, "And I'll be here for you both… well, I guess the three of you," he added, seeing those words actually seemed to ease Danny's mind a little, "Oh, and by the way, Gooseberry is a real berry," Tex was serious as he made that statement. "I may not be as worldly as you think, but I do know a few things."

Danny swallowed, "Gooseberry is a real berry?" he asked, glancing over at Bacon for a second. The cook shrugged, clearly having never heard of it before either. He'd learned enough in the past few months to know Tex had never lied to him; in fact he'd given him the push he needed to realize he couldn't live without Kara being a part of his life. He trusted Tex, and he grudgingly admired the man in some ways. "Fine, I defer to your knowledge of women," Danny gave in.

Tex managed to hang on to his serious exterior for only another few seconds, then he lost it. "Gooseberry jam is real," he chuckled, "But I haven't got a clue if the doc likes gooseberries or daisies," he revealed. Tex knew he deserved the glare Danny shot him, but soon they were laughing - tired and somewhat delirious after their middle-of-the-night bread baking adventures. "Just go with your gut," was the only real advice Tex had to doll out.

As the two slices of cornbread popped out of the toaster and nearly landed on the stainless counter, Danny made a quick decision, "Blackberry," he declared. Bacon handed him a plate and a small package of blackberry jam, even managing a small smile as he handed them over.

With the jam spread, Danny happily shed his ridiculous apron.

He walked out of the galley with his prized toast displayed on the plain white plate, carrying it with almost regal regard.

The goofy Texan slipped into step beside him and grinned, "You did a good thing here," he praised.

"Thanks for your help," Danny replied, "I know I gave you a bit of a hard time, but it was an honor to serve with you on this mission."

Tex playfully jabbed the man in the side and laughed as Danny nearly dropped the precious toast.

"My pleasure," Tex remarked, "And because I'm such a nice guy, I'm even going to…" he trailed off as Dr. Scott came down the stairs and approached them. "Hiya, doc," Tex nodded, flashing a bright smile her way. "You're up late… or… early. Having trouble sleeping? I know a few ways to solve that problem."

She rolled her eyes at the comment, but was unable to forget the kiss they'd shared months ago.

Danny noticed the doctor didn't have a witty comeback for Tex and wondered if maybe there was some possibility of the two of them being more than friends, "Dr. Scott…" Danny bit his bottom lip for a moment before going for it, "The kids are doing a school project and it involves a survey. They asked if I'd help them out with it."

"You have a question for me?" she guessed.

"Simple one," Danny grinned, "I just need to know what your favorite type of jam is?" he lifted the toast a little to further indicate what he was referring to. "I thought I overheard someone mention you liked gooseberry jam?" he ventured, catching Tex's glare from the corner of his eye.

"Gooseberry is okay, but I actually prefer a nice orange marmalade," she replied with a quick, slightly amused, smile before brushing past them, "Good evening, gentlemen. I hope the children's survey project turns out well," the doctor called over her shoulder.

When she was out of earshot, Danny turned to Tex with a simple, "Now you know."

"Now I know," Tex nodded appreciatively.

"And next time you run into her," Danny resumed walking, "I'm thinking instead of, _doc_, maybe you could call her Rachel," he suggested.

Tex's lips became a thin line for a moment, actually putting some thought to it, "You think?"

"Let me school you in the art of pleasing a woman," Danny teasingly echoed the words Tex had said to him earlier.

"Yeah, yeah… all right, smartass," Tex took the ribbing good naturedly as he veered left, "As I was trying to say a little bit ago, I'm gonna be a nice guy and go join that late-night card game I saw going on as we passed Mulvaney's bunk. Give you and the lovely Kara a little alone time."

A genuine smile graced Danny's features, "Thanks, Tex. I owe you one."

ooo

Danny entered their bunk room and was about to close the door when he spotted Kara in bed, eyes closed, asleep.

He shut the door as softly as possible before standing beside the bottom bunk, starring down at her. Danny couldn't help smile, not at the fact that she'd fallen asleep after he'd left but by the one she was cuddling in her sleep. "Really, Halsey?" he whispered to the German Shepard, "This is not how you…"

"Danny?" Kara whispered; her eyes still closed.

"Hey," he quickly shifted his focus back to Kara, squatting beside her while managing to balance the plate in his right hand. His left hand pushed a bit of hair behind her ear as she opened her eyes, "You couldn't sleep with me by your side, but you can sleep with Admiral Halsey? You know he's a working dog, right?"

An unapologetic smile came over her even as she said, "Sorry. But even working dogs need a little R&amp;R."

The small chuckle that escaped his lips betrayed any pretense of being wounded, "I'd be more upset if you didn't look so cute," Danny whispered, leaning forward to kiss her briefly on the lips, "I'm glad you slept, sorry I was gone so long."

"How long?" she asked sleepily.

"Couple hours," Danny revealed. "But I brought you something," he held the plate in her line of sight.

She blinked a few times, adjusting to the rooms light, "Is that… toast?" Kara propped herself on one elbow upon the realization. The dog shifted and leapt off the side of their bunk. He walked to the door and curled up there, drifting off again in a matter of seconds, "Where'd you find bread?"

"Well, kinda a long story," Danny sat on the edge of their bunk and regaled her with the whole process, "That's how I ended up with this plate of cornbread toast with blackberry jam."

"Blackberry is my favorite jam, how'd you know that?" Kara wondered.

"I, uh…" he toyed with the idea of lying about it, but opted for honesty, "I didn't know. I had to pick between grape jelly and blackberry. And there's no butter, we're out of that, too."

Kara's pleased smile was reinforced by the kiss she pressed gently against his lips. She sat up. "We had huge blackberry bushes in the field behind our old horse barn, acres of them that just grew wild," she explained, "My grandfather took me out there all the time, usually after a lot of arm twisting on my part. We'd pick them so my grandmother could make jam. Okay, technically he picked them and put them in a bowl. I picked them and they went straight into my mouth," she recalled with a chuckle, "I wish I could…"

He noticed the far-off look in her eyes; the one that often accompanied stories about where she'd grown up, "What?"

"Never mind," she shook her head, fingers reaching for the toast, "It's silly. Doesn't matter," Kara insisted.

"It matters to you," Danny pointed out, "Which means it matters to me, Kara," he gently prodded her into continuing the thought.

"I just kind of wish we could take Frankie there someday," she admitted, seeing in his eyes that he'd already suspected that to be her wish, "But I don't even know if… I was never able to get ahold of my mom when we were state-side. She's probably dead, and the farm is likely…" she shrugged, "Doesn't matter. I have you and baby Frankie, and you made me toast."

Danny watched her eyes get misty as she spoke, noticing that her emotions had gotten the better of her a time or two since pregnancy. He let the topic drop, not wanting to push her any further. There were a lot of what ifs and questions that he hoped they'd both find answers to someday. He watched as Kara took a bite of the toast, hoping she'd be pleased. Danny decided to taste his own creation and took a bite of the other slice.

They locked eyes as they slowly chewed, brows arching.

"That's really, um…" Kara swallowed and sat her piece of toast back onto the plate. "Well… to be honest, Danny… it's not very good," she licked her lips, allowing the too-sweet jam to cover up the bad aftertaste of the homemade cornbread.

He was hurt for a moment until he swallowed, realizing the aftertaste was worse than the initial taste, "Completely not good," Danny agreed though he swallowed again, knowing wasting food of any sort or quality was a major no-no on the ship. "I'm sorry, Kara. I just wanted to do something right for a change and…" his head shook.

"Danny, what are you talking about?" she took the plate from him and sat it on the floor.

"This bread, toast…" he heaved a sigh, "Yelling at you about being on that mission and then breaking up with you like a complete jerk," Danny took a quick breath, "And then leaving you on the ship when those idiots took over and not being there for you and the baby when…"

"Whoa, hold on there," Kara put a halt to his lament, "Danny, you just spent hours making me bread, _toast_, because of a craving I mentioned. And it's gross, yes, but that's got to be the sweetest thing you've ever done for me, that anyone has ever done for me," she insisted. "I love you for it. And as far as that other stuff… all of that is water under the bridge, already dealt with, Danny. I mean it," Kara concluded.

He gazed into her hazel eyes and was once again amazed that someone like her had dared to take a serious chance on a guy like him, "You should probably know Tex had a lot to do with the whole Operation Get Kara Toast mission," he admitted.

"That right?" she chuckled at the mission name, "Remind me to give him a big hug the next time I see him."

"A hug, huh?" Danny pouted teasingly, "And what sort of thank you do I get for putting on an apron and helping him make bread?"

"You wore an apron?" Kara watched him nod silently as she drew him toward the bunk. "Sure wish I'd seen that." He crawled in beside her, his hands cupping her face, "You get…" she closed her eyes, cut off by the softness of his lips against hers, his hands entangled in the hair at the back of her neck. Kara panted softly as she squeezed out the words, "You get the satisfaction of knowing you provided for me and your unborn child."

Danny smiled, "Pretty good reward." His fingers smoothed their way down her neck, over her shoulders, and along her arms before stopping to rest against her waist.

"And you get this kiss," Kara initiated, suckling his bottom lip until her tongue gently slid along his upper lip. Danny's bristly chin whiskers tickled her smooth skin as she prodded for an opening. He didn't take much persuading to deepen the kiss. The heat of his warm chest against hers, his heartbeat quickening, both caused Kara to sigh lustfully into his mouth.

"That is a lot better than a hug…" he moaned as she broke free for a moment.

Kara wasn't uncomfortable or hungry any longer. She wasn't sleepy either, "And you get to guess what I'm craving now."

"Oh, yeah?" Danny didn't bother trying to hide how eager he was, stripping off his sweatshirt, "How many guesses do I get?" he asked.

Her small bit of laughter faded and swiftly turned into a groan of appreciation as he lifted the hem of her sweatshirt and pulled it over her head. His running shorts followed soon after, both items falling into a crumpled heap beside the bunk. Neither of them seemed to care about the quietly snoring dog in the room, nor did they bother to lock the door. They focused only on unburdening themselves of the last bits of clothing that separated their skin.

"Just one guess," she finally, breathlessly, answered as their bodies melted into one another.

* * *

**The End**


End file.
